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The boldest karaoke singer in town

‘I was lost in the moment, hadn’t realised how much noise I was making. A man tapped me on the shoulder and said, "You have no idea how stupid you sound." He seemed genuinely angry. I apologised profusely’

It's actually quite easy not to be depressed, even in mid-January. Airlines and public-health leaflets refer to this state as a "sense of wellbeing", and to achieve it, according to a shrink I met over the festive period, all you need to do is dance, have sex and sing a lot. Furthermore, she added, the less inclined a person feels towards any of the above, the more urgently they probably need to try them.

But it's all very well. These bossy to-do lists come at us from every angle. Have you had your five-a-day? Have you taken care on slippery surfaces? Drunk 43 litres of water, used an antibacterial hand wipe, read a good novel, filled in your tax return…? It's not that easy, really, to get round to everything. I explained to the shrink, as she was pausing to inhale, that some people have insurmountable psychological problems related to